The disclosures herein relate generally to portable computers and more particularly to a visor on a top portion of a portable notebook computer.
Portable laptop or notebook computers include a base and a top which is pivotally connected to the base at a hinged connection. When the top is raised, a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel mounted therein is exposed. The portable computer industry is providing computers with larger and larger LCD panels to respond to user demand. Consequently, the strength requirements of the LCD housing are increasing, particularly because portable computers are often dropped or subjected to harsh conditions which may damage the LCD panel or other components of the computer.
There have been several attempts to provide protection for components of portable computers from such damage. U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,168 discloses an improved portable personal computer preferably configured to facilitate outdoor field-use having an impact attenuating case, a sealed keyboard, and a sealed mouse which facilitate use of the computer in harsh environments. The case has an impact attenuating covering in which is housed a hard drive on a shock-isolated mount and a display further mounted in the case in a resilient shock-isolated manner. The case, hard drive mount, and display mount cooperate to attenuate shock-induced damage resulting from impacts and sudden accelerations of the computer caused during rugged use. Furthermore, the sealed keyboard and mouse assemblies prevent any damage which might result from liquids migrating within the case and into the computer components.
Typically, portable laptop computers have at least one module, such as a disk drive, CD ROM drive, modem, or battery pack housed within the base. Many of these modules can be removed by the user to be replaced or interchanged with other modules. However, when a portable computer is dropped, these modules are often unintentionally ejected from the base and are easily damaged. In addition, even when the computer is stationary, foreign material such as dust, dirt, small objects and liquid may get inside the modules and cause damage.
Also, another typical problem associated with portable laptop or notebook computers is a glare or bleaching caused by light hitting the LCD display making it difficult or unpleasant to view the LCD display. Attempting to cure this problem, U.S. Pat. No. 5,777,704 provides an arrangement for enhancing the observability of a multicolored LCD in a computer of the notebook type. A top lid of the laptop is mechanically separated into a diffuser/reflective surface and the LCD in its frame. The diffusing/reflecting lid is attached through a slider and linkage arrangement permitting the diffuser/reflector to act as a flat field illuminator and to move in a plane, apart from, yet forming a dihedral angle with the plane of the LCD. The lid can thus opportunistically reflect ambient light through the plane of the LCD. Also, by projecting over the plane of the LCD, the lid secures a contrast-maintaining shadow otherwise bleached by light incident to the LCD viewing surface.
It would be desirable to provide a portable computer having a simple means for protecting the LCD, modules, and other components of the computer and for reducing the amount of glare on the LCD display. Therefore, what is needed is a portable computer top which provides protection for the computer and reduces the glare on the LCD display.
One embodiment, accordingly, provides a display panel cover including a visor which provides protection for the computer and reduces glare on the display panel. To this end, a portable computer includes a base having a perimeter including a plurality of sides. A module opening is formed in one of the sides of the base. A display panel having a viewing surface, is housed by a cover pivotally connected to the base for movement between an open position and a closed position. The cover includes a visor extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the viewing surface of the display panel, such that the visor covers at least a portion of the module opening when the cover is in the closed position.
A principal advantage of this embodiment is that in a portable computer, a visor can be provided to restrain modules within the base of the computer when the computer is dropped for example. Other advantages are that the visor protects the computer from foreign objects, reduces the amount of glare on the display panel, and provides an extra wall of plastic around the base providing increased protection to critical components.